User:Autonumerology

Autonumerology the study of unusual license plate numbers.

In 1964 a gentleman from Oldhill, Staffordshire and subsequently living in Blackpool in the United Kingdom put a name to his fascination with Auto Car Number Plates and the term Autonumerology was born. Noel Woodall became the world's first Autonumerologist and for more than 40 years, he has remained fascinated by interesting and personalised number plates.

Noel's interest in number plates began shortly after moving to Blackpool in 1962, when he saw a car with the registration BB 4. Upon making local investigations he discovered that the number plate belonged to a local bookmaker, this was the beginning of Noel's fascination with personal number plates.

After a fruitless visit to the library, Noel decided to put an advert in the RAF's Air Mail magazine asking other members for information about mayoral and distinctive number plates. Noel’s tenacity paid off and he received so much information that he decided to compile and publish a book entitled ‘Car Number Galaxy – Celebrities’. It cost Noel £250, which was 6 months' wages at the time.

Noel’s book contained an intoxicating list of registrations, the cars they were on, and their owners. Noel did considerable research and included in the book's forward a brief history of car registrations from 1903 on, and included a whole page on the history of A1. Noel’s particular interest in number plates with only one letter and one number resulted in his first personal purchase, which was W3.

Noel followed this with other small books entitled Veterans, 'More Celebrities' and the also a very rare Cartoon edition illustrated by his friend Fred Fawbert. Noel has since compiled over 20 books on the subject of number plates, several of which were edited by his friend and colleague Brian Heaton. The last book to be published was in 2000 and was called ‘Car Numbers’, which was the 11th edition to bear that name, the first being issued in 1969.

Noel Woodall and Brian Heaton were responsible for bringing Autonumerology to the masses in the UK and for largely creating a market that has traded hundreds of millions of pounds worth of vehicle registrations. Their passion helped fuel the creation of NewReg.com in 1996, one of the UK’s very first E-commerce web sites, now successfully selling online for over a decade. In 1996 the BBC got in on the act and interviewed Noel at the premises of New Reg Limited for the hugely popular TV series ‘Top Gear’.

Noel now resides in the Fylde where he still enjoys looking at the odd number plate or two!